OCTOBER 24, 2012

Full News Archive

• Headline: Rising Concerns Over Energy Drink Safety. Impact: The rise of high-caffeine drinks led to an unforeseen spike in extreme sports events, as people desperately needed a jolt to survive their attempts at parkour after three Red Bulls. This ultimately paved the way for 'extreme napping' competitions, where contestants compete to see who can nap the hardest post-caffeine crash.. Fact: Did you know that the FDA once considered calling energy drinks 'liquid motivation'? They decided against it when they realized most users were just trying to survive Monday mornings..
• Headline: Surface Tablet: Hardware vs. Software Struggle. Impact: The Surface tablet's clunky software spurred a whole new genre of tech support memes, leading to the rise of digital therapists specializing in helping users cope with multiple software crashes. This eventually resulted in a reality TV show called 'Surviving the Update'.. Fact: Fun fact: Microsoft's Surface tablet was originally conceived as a kitchen appliance, designed for users to cook and organize dinner menus. But they decided that crashing mid-recipe was not a great selling point!.
• Headline: Iran's Cyber Response to U.S. Attacks. Impact: This cyberattack sparked a new arms race in the digital realm, where nations rushed to develop their own viruses. This ultimately led to a bizarre underground market for hacker trading cards, featuring rare editions of malware like 'Stuxnet'.. Fact: Did you know that the first computer virus was created as a joke? No one was laughing when it crashed a few dozen systems—turns out, humor and technology don’t mix well!.
• Headline: Simple but Local, Queens Slots Are Hurting Gambling Meccas. Impact: The success of local slots in Queens led to an influx of 'urban gambling' enthusiasts who believed they could turn their kitchens into mini-casinos. This quirky trend inspired reality shows like 'Kitchen Roulette' where families gamble on who cooks dinner.. Fact: Did you know that the first slot machine was invented in the late 19th century and was called the 'Liberty Bell'? Apparently, the only liberty it offered was the freedom to lose your coinage at an alarming rate..
• Headline: Firms Don’t Share Consumer Optimism. Impact: The disconnect between firms and consumer optimism led to a rise in 'optimism consulting', where businesses hire life coaches to teach them how to be just as happy as their customers. Spoiler alert: it usually involves a lot of yoga.. Fact: Did you know that 'consumer optimism' is just a fancy term for people pretending that they’ll totally buy that new phone as soon as their current one stops working—spoiler: it never does..